Durham takes on Nottinghamshire in the North Group encounter of T20 Blast 2020.
Team Preview
After playing the heartbreaking semifinal in the previous season, Nottinghamshire started their campaign at Leeds but the rain played a spoilsport and match abandoned. Daniel Christian-led side makes travel to Chester-Le-Street – the only ground which witnessed a full game on opening day. Alex Hales is the top-performer of the side and the skipper would expect him to go big against Durham. The English player had a terrific season with the bat last year. Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett are other English assets in the Nottingham side. In the last one decade, Nottingham failed just once to reach the knock out stage and they are the most consistent side of the T20 Blast. They require a responsibility at the finishing end to carry the fireworks from the top-order. Losing the semifinal by one run from the winning situation is the latest example of their failure. Harry Gurney will be a big blow to the side, who has been ruled out due to the injury.
Meanwhile, Durham made a weak start on opening day with a defeat against Lancashire. After winning the toss, Lancashire put 190 on the board, riding on Jennings’ ton and Davies’50. After losing first two wickets in single digits, Durham saw a steady partnership from Lees and Bedingham but the regular wickets and the pressure of required run-rate push Durham out of the contest. After losing the home game by 27 runs, Durham would try to avoid mistakes in the 2nd consecutive home encounter with a top team. Mark Wood was effective, conceding runs with the economy of just 6 runs and picked one wicket. Durham needs such intent on a batting-friendly track.
Pitch Report
Chester-Le-Street is a batting paradise and it offers a good amount of runs. Pacers can trouble in the first half-an-hour. Once you settle on the pitch, you easily get boundaries. The first day’s encounter was high-scoring and it might be another one. The weather is cloudy and no rain is predicted on Saturday.
Final Squads
Durham
Alex Lees, Scott Steel, Graham Clark, David Bedingham, Stuart Poynter (wk), Brydon Carse, Paul Coughlin, Liam Trevaskis, Mark Wood, Matty Potts, Nathan Rimmington (c)
Nottinghamshire
Ben Duckett, Alex Hales, Chris Nash, Zak Chappell, Daniel Christian(c), Steven Mullaney, Tom Moores(w), Joe Clarke, Tom Barber, Jake Ball, Luke Fletcher, Samit Patel, Peter Trego, Matthew Carter
Key Players
Durham
Scott Steel
Last season: M: 11, Runs: 369, Avg: 33.54
Matty Potts
Last season: M: 12, Wickets: 17, Avg: 19.52
Nottinghamshire
Alex Hales
Last season: M: 12, Runs: 418, Avg: 35.46
Matthew Carter
Last season: M: 12, Wickets: 14, Avg: 19.78
